Long sermons . . . and renewal

Ready for some honesty?
Maybe a show of hands?
Oh, that's right, I can't see you.
Well . . .
Have you ever chafed and fidgeted at what you considered to be a long sermon?
Ever glanced at your watch (nowadays that would be looking at your phone, I guess!) and sighed while the preacher was still talking?
Ever rolled your eyes at your companion because it seemed like he was "taking forever"?
I have to thank all of you who study here, because I get long-winded sometimes, too!

Now.... what would you think about a service that had about six hours of Bible reading and preaching?
Seriously!
Especially if you had to stand the entire time?
Wowser.
In Nehemiah chapter eight, that is exactly what happens . . . and it's at the request of the people.
AND they came back for more the next day!
I think we could say it was a time of revival, no? A time of spiritual renewal!

At the center of this revival was the reading and teaching of Scripture. Scholars say that from this point on, the Jewish people would be a people who relied more on scripture than before.  One of the primary marks of spiritual renewal and revival is a strong emphasis and focus on the Word of God. As we look at the passage of years, and consider the history of our faith, we can see that God's people have gone through times where His Word has been neglected. The spiritual condition of His people has deteriorated as a result. After this portion of the cycle, God shows His grace and sends renewal. We can see that each time, there is a real focus and emphasis on God's Word.

Let's look at the Old Testament: when Judah languished under the totally godless reigns of King Manasseh and his son, Amon. I'd like to dig into this story because there is so much that is similar to our world today . . .
King Hezekiah was a man of piety and faith, but his son, Manasseh was not. One could say that it had a lot to do with his being young and impressionable - after all, he came to the throne of Judea at the ripe old age of twelve. (Grin) The young ruler was immediately surrounded by wicked people who had pretty much gone into hiding during his dad's reign. But it appears that Manasseh was not equipped with a strong character; he was susceptible to idolatry and became a willing tool in the hands of these selfish men.

Was there opportunity for young Manasseh to choose a different path? Yup. Despite the unceasing efforts of one of the greatest prophets of the ages, Isaiah, Manasseh ignored the admonitions and advice that would have gotten him back on the right pathway. And because of the evil the king did, the people of Judea followed along. The temples and idols and altars which had been destroyed under King Hezekiah were rebuilt. They even brought idols into the temple! Also, some of the basic concepts of Jewish thought and belief were falsified and distorted. (Keep that in mind....)

This was a complete reversal into idolatry, just as when it had been practiced under King Ahaz, Hezekiah's father (Manasseh's granddad).  The result? The land was thrown into a turmoil of immorality and lawlessness. (There's point two....)
The believers in the one and only God, YAHWEH, were persecuted. (There is point three....) When Isaiah spoke sharply and prophesied against the evil ways of King Manasseh and his nobles, Isaiah was murdered.
In addition, Manasseh suppressed the study of the Torah. Why? He knew as long as the spiritual structure of God's Word stood strong and was in the hearts of the people, his throne was threatened. (Yep, there's point four....)
Manasseh sank lower and lower into sin, idolatry, and witchcraft. Even though he personally repented in later years, he was never able to make amends for the damage he did in the first decades of his reign. He was captured and carted away to Assyria where he was tortured and suffered terribly. After he repented sincerely his prayers were heard and he was re-installed on his throne in Jerusalem - but even though he tried mightily to restore the faith and worship of the people, he was unable to bring back the people's spiritual commitment.
King Manasseh was succeeded by his son Amon - not an improvement! The land was plunged deeper and deeper into the swamps of idolatry and immorality. Amon was murdered by his own servants after just two years.

The sun begins to shine, though. Amon's son, Josiah, was declared the king of Judah. The Bible tells us that Josiah didn't follow in the steps of his dad and granddad, but instead he followed the ways of God.

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. (II Kings 22:1-2)

When Josiah was sixteen, the Bible says he began to diligently seek the Lord; he was saddened by all that had come before; and he was determined to remove all of the idolatry from the land. He instituted spiritual reforms after Hilkiah found the copy of God's law in the temple, and after Huldah read it and taught from it. (Wow, what an eye-opener.....I looked back to see when we studied Huldah, as one of our heroines of the Bible....four years ago!! Can it be?!! If you want to re-read the posts as a background to this week's study, you can use the search bar on the right hand side and type in the name Huldah.) 

Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. (II Kings 23:25)

Josiah called the nation to repentance and utilized the book of the law to restore purity and worship in the land.
Revival came!
It came because the Word of God was re-discovered, re-read, and obeyed.
Those points that I called your attention to up there?
Doesn't that sound like today's world?
Distorting godly principles and beliefs....immorality and lawlessness becoming commonplace....persecuting believers in the true God.....suppressing the study and speech regarding the Word of God....

There have been other times that the world has descended into spiritual "black holes." Each time, the Word of God has been at the heart of the revival that ended the spiritual darkness for a time.
We will study more about this tomorrow, and then get back to our current chapter in Nehemiah. I hope you will find time to read the eighth chapter and join us!